One long-time Friendly Planet traveler, Dr. Steven Derfler, just returned from Egypt on Jan. 22. Every January, Dr. Derfler takes a group from the University of Wisconsin on a tour of Egypt, which Friendly Planet Travel has operated for years.

Since Dr. Derfler goes to Egypt so often, he’s made many friends there, including people at the Cairo Museum and members of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Since the protests erupted, he’s been getting updates from his friends.

He sent an e-mail with a few pictures to students and friends that have traveled with him to Egypt in the past. His message contains some updates about the situation in Egypt, including photos. He’s graciously letting us publish his e-mail and photos, but asked that we remove any names of people in Egypt.

I copied and pasted his e-mail and pictures below to give you a first-hand account of what’s going on in Egypt. Thanks Dr. Derfler for letting us share this with our readers. I’ll continue to post updates on the situation in Egypt as soon as I receive more news.

Hello all,

You have all journeyed with me to Egypt over the last couple of years, and I want to give you an update about the situation in Egypt as far as our mutual friends and contacts go. Before internet and cell phone disruption by the government (apparently), the last that I heard on Weds was that [named removed], [name removed] and my boat were all fine and well and staying out of the fray. At that time the situation had not escalated to what we see currently. I have tried to call, email, etc but have not had any luck nor any response. That in itself means nothing given the nature of the communication blackout. I am confident that they are fine and keeping their heads down.

It is a different story regarding the Cairo Museum. Some of you may be aware that the headquarters of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party is next door to the Cairo Museum, fronting Tahrir Square. The HQ was torched and stormed by the crowd. However, the museum remained untouched. This was in part due to the heroism of everyday Egyptians who made a “human chain” around the museum grounds to prevent looting, vandalism and damage. However, all this changed a bit on Friday/Saturday. I did get an email from a colleague and friend within the Supreme Council of Antiquities with some photos (ATTACHED). Apparently, with allegedly the aid of some NDP members, the museum perimeter was breached and some vandals got in to the museum to wreak havoc before being subdued and the museum secured. THEY WERE NOT, I REPEAT, NOT, A PART OF THE NATURE OF THIS REVOLT AGAINST MUBARAK’s GOVT. They were vandals, street thugs and opportunists taking advantage of a possible Baghdad-like situation. There have been rumors to the extent that 2 mummies in the Royal Mummy Room were “beheaded”, but that could not be confirmed by my friend. The museum is secure now, and protected by the military.

In addition, many of the major archaeological sites have been closed and secured by the military as well, including the Giza Complex.

As far as the south goes, there has not been anywhere near the level of civil protest and disruption of life in either Luxor or Aswan. All is well on the Tulip and with the Wings people in those 2 cities. (Last communication, I told my boat to anchor out in the Nile!!!)

So, the extremely fluid situation remains……. fluid. If you have any questions, feel free to “e”.( maybe they were so sad to see us leave my boat they protested! )

About Peggy

Peggy Goldman is a specialty tour operator and travel expert, who owns and operates Friendly Planet Travel, a full-service company that specializes in tour packages to exotic worldwide destinations at affordable prices. More about Peggy